hmmmmmmmm, a little worried now....
....might be my tiredness though (so apologies if this makes no sense), been pulling 15hour days at work in Ireland, back in dark windy cold England now, ready to try again tomorrow!

i removed the plug with an alan key then screwed in the M6/8 bolt to withdraw the shaft,
lifted up the bit on top that has a gaitor on it... but thought this just needed to be disconnected, not fully removed

hmmmm, lets hope i havent bent anything!

 

You are in danger of bending the release bearing and the spring cage around it.
If the fork's pivot shaft is out the jack the front of the engine uo and get the top and bottom gaps of the box/engine even and then get it off.

You have totally disconnected the shifter mechanism off the box by the prop shaft?

Keep us informed!
Get a good nights sleep first

Graham.

 

hey guys,

update:

the fork was released okay, the box was just being a b1tch to get off one of the studs, having the drive shafts off my life much easier
unfortunately, we started late and the rain made life near impossible, so had to call it a day
car is on stands, and gearbox supported by trolley jacks, just need to edge it back a couple of inches so we can lower it and get it out of the way
oh! my kingdom for a transmission jack!

so fingers crossed and weather permitting, we should at least have the clutch swapped by tomorrow
then all gotta do its put it back together and figure out which nut/bolt goes where!


Chris

 

Told you the Draper Trans Jack was needed.
However, one of those also takes about 100mm height away from you. so if you wanted to get the box from under the car life becomes a bitch!

Just be VERY carful about the weight when the bloody thing comes off.
Also, think of the poor guy in the future who is the next to take the box off; cover everything with 'coppa slip'
Also: When I first replaced mine one of the dowls fell out in the struggle to get it on (!) and that caused just so much hassle after i won't tell you about it. Take care!

Update tomorrow night please.
Graham.

 

Do a search on fleabay and a couple of draper jacks for sale at the moment. Money very well spent, especially if you are working with a 6sp

 

i had no bad feelings in paying sumbody else to do my clutch swap

i hate paying other people for stuff i could do myself, but sumtimes you just have to wiegh up the pros and cons and think "**** it" lol

 

>especially if you are working with a 6sp
I still have nightmares....

 

Same as me. I didn't have time so I paid a guy I know who builds Group N rally cars to do mine. He did it in a morning and took £90 off me for labour .
I also noticed that when I was doing the wheel bearing he had disconnected the strut and not the bottom ball joint as the 2 strut bolts were covered in coppaslip and the camber adjusting bolt was marked with tipp-ex. Just thought I'd add that as it may be easier than trying to split the bottom ball joint when disconnecting the CV joint. I must also say he did a really good job as everything was coppaslipped and he had also changed all the earth leads as well.

 

Any update Chris...... or are you still under the car.....??

 

hey hey all!

right, heres the update....
im soo chuffing tired... this is taking toooo longg!

well, new clutch is fitted, gearbox is nearly back on... kind of stopped at the last 10mm or so though, im a bit worried about the spline on the input shaft - lining it up with clutch plate... how can i ensure this will happen okay????
i.e. if i start putting pressure on the bell housing to mate the two surfaces together, is it possible that the input shaft will just press against the clutch and not fit in, or will it sort it self out as it were ... thought about maybe putting it in gear and rotating the prop?

soo close now, just wanna get it done... kicking myself for not getting a bl00dy transmission jack... most of our time has beeen spent edging the gearbox this way and that on stupid trolley jacks that never go where you want them too!


oh, here are a few pics of the old clutch (hope they work, just signed up for a photbucket account, taken with phone so apologies for quality):

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...MAGE_00088.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...MAGE_00087.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...MAGE_00086.jpg

note, the lack of friction material and the COMPLETELY screwed release bearing...
... it came off in two pieces and on closer inspection it is completely dry of lubricant and makes a crunching noise when you rotate it!
ouch

(gonna invest im some flood lights tomorrow i feel, i HAVE to get this finished!)
so tired!


Chris

 

Yup, it looks like that clutch was fubbared......

At least you're making progress, slow yes, but it is progress, and when it's done at leats you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you shouldn't have to do it again for a while,......

I've always found that the splines 'go in' when it gets close, that is as long as you've got the plate pretty near central..... also, it's worth checking that the fork thingy is not fowling anything going back together.... yet again, it needs lifting out of the way to be dead sure..... Then you've got the joyous task of bolting all the bit's back on.....

Well done.. and good luck!!

 

good, i was hoping that would be the case... i got the plate as central as possible before doing up the pressure plate so fingers crossed there...
i assume for the last few mm's of travel its a case of doing the bolts up bit-by-bit (with even pressure of course!) and getting the surfaces nice and tight?????

the top of the clutch fork was a right b!tch sometimes, kept fouling stuff!
sooo glad i wasnt doing it alone, i probably would have torched the car by now!

aye, the best bits are yet to come (actually pretty easy in comparison i spose, just gotta make sure i dont miss anything!) :
put the springs back in the drive shafts,
fully attach the transmission cradle,
reconnect the zorst,
make sure all the sensors, multiplugs are back in,
re-attach the prop,
tighten up the ARB,
put the starter back on,
fill her with expensive gear oil that halfrauds have run out of grr..
put the intercooler back on,
but the strut brace back on,
put the airbox back on,
job jobbed!

and then i can drive her again!

so close i can taste it now, been a hard slow slog, but dont regret doing it... learnt a hell of a lot about the car... and not to do it again without a draper trans jack (should have listened to ya 911! )

thanks again peeps, your help has been invaluable... i'd buy yer a pint if i could!

just got the last mile to go now. all things being well it will be done tomorrow night... although possibly the day after, depending on how my day at work is!


ta

Chris

 

Aligning my friction plate was the big issue last time i did mine. The box came on/off 6 times before i found the alignment tool was NOT machined concentrically...
Fixed that at work, realigned and the box 'popped' on.
Are you sure the thrust bearing/fork is clicked into place?
Take it easy, you can strain a lot of things jacking it all back into place. Overfill the gearbox by 1/2 litre too.

Good game!

Graham.

 

Shame you didn't get it finished today Chris, we've got the December Dorset meet tomorrow at the Fox and Hounds just off Wimborne bypas......

I did my gbox twice, as if i didn't learnt the first time, i did it on a gravel parking area.... not fun!! got gravel eveyrwhere......Grrrrr.

 

Graham, this might sound like an alarming/ stupid question but what do you mean by alignment tool?
the clutch fork is definitely in place correctly, you can move it longitudinally and feel it moving the release bearing....

Chris


PS, yeah i know Ron, was hoping to make it down... not much chance now eh!
i will definitely next time though, be nice to come down and say hello... i might be bring my evo driving mate so we can all have a laff!

 

We welcome all with an interest in cars Chris, one of the guy's went to the dark side, and now he drags a few mates along... we could well see a very full car park tomorrow.....

 

okay i've figured out what an alignment tool is!
but we didnt use one at all, does that mean ive got to drop it away again and use one?
if so:
a) where can i get one?
b) how do they work? is it just a case of having the box and flywheel lined up with each other so the friction plate can be centralised?

a much confused chris....

 

Chris, fear not, so long as the plate looked central when you lined it up, i suspect it'll be fine, i have changed probably getting on for 30 clutches in my motoring life, and never once have i used an alignment tool.......

 

sorry for all the questions, i just want to get this clear in my head before i go mashing stuff up!...
... if the friction plate isnt perfectly central, and you move the input shaft in... wont it fouly the outside edge of the splines on the friction plate, therefore any pressure will either crush that bit of the plate or start bending the shaft? or will it centralise the friction plate?

the reason i ask is that the gearbox doesnt just mate perfectly to the engine at the moment, i will have to start screwing the four bolts up bit by bit to get it together... making it difficult to tell if i am crushing anything...
... i suppose it should just clamp together nicely and THEN do it up?

Chris

 

There is a certain ammount of play/clearance to be used in the assy.
I always use a tool for every clutch as I don't have Ron's micrometer eye !
You can 'arrange a tool by finding a socket bar and wrap tightly masking tape around it to build-up the diameter to match the flywheel spiggot and the inside dia of the friction plate spline.
You are there now so worth giving it a push, but when the lot is all lined-up the box slips on quite easy.
If it all feels just too tight remove and re-align.
Graham.

 

How ya doin Chris.... got it sorted yet???

 

hey hey!

spent half the day doing it today with two new weapons in my arsenal:
a transmission jack
and a universal clutch alignment jobby

the result:
one mated gearbox!

once again though, the darkness and cold got the better of me, and had to stop
but basically as soon as its light (well, maybe 9ish! im gonna start putting the rest of it back together... thank F*CK!

just hope:
a) it goes back together again
b) nothing goes bang when i start her / drive her!

been a long hard slog, learnt many a lesson.... but soo close i can taste it now!




Chris

 

Nice one, just imagine, with all that you've learnt, it'll be so much easier next time..... Sorry... should you ever need to do it again...

 

Sounds like you're having fun with it Chris

FWIW, I 'made' an alignment tool by cutting an input shaft out of an old gearbox, and using it to centre the friction plate, by pushing the shaft into the flywheel spigot bearing.

 

Mega.
Go from 3 spanner rating to 5!
Graham

 

righttttttttttttttttttt

all back together, pulled away perfectly...no problems

EXCEPT! :
i have obviosuly missed/b*ggered up a couple of things cos
a) speedo dont work - cant have attached the cable properly, or it isnt biting correctly...
b) at between 2-3000 RPM, instead of boosting it just whistles loudly, as though air is escaping... not sure if this is air blowing out, or being sucked in... but i have obviously missed a pipe somewhere, or not tightened it enough.... (im assuming this isnt related to the speed sensor...?)


any thoughts chaps?!!?

Chris

 

Speedo connection is a bit 'hit and miss' This could be influencing the boost part of the ecu (I think...)
More obvious will be a hose loose etc because at those revs the boost is building so able to blow by a loose hose clip.
Most likely the turbo to TMIC hose that you have disturbed along the way.

All simple stuff to checkout!

Well done, welcome to the 'Non Impreza Virgins Club'!
5 spanners to you (and your long suffering mate)

Remember: Sell the bugger when the clutch starts to groan...

Graham.

 

lol, indeed RON!


i am 500% better prepared for the next time (doubt it will be on this car though.... the next scoob.... STi next year for me... or maybe something else hmm...)


just hope this boost issue isnt anything serious....


once again, thanks muchly for all the help, particularly ROn and Graham.... your encyclopedic knowledge has been invaluable...
.... now if only i could get the smell of gearbox oil off me!



Chris

 

In time you'll get used to the stench of gear oil, it goes after a few weeks!!!

Well done for getting it back together, the boost may well be the speedo cable problem, i'm sure the ecu reads the speed from there aswell....and then controls the boost.. or not..

Maybe you'll be able to get along to the January Dorset meet.... when i can be ar5ed to decided where it's gonna be......

I had an SOS cal at about 4pm today... had to go and sort out a fellow Scoobynetters brakes for em.... job done

Ron..

Ps, i find that when you've done a big job such as this, always do a double check on all.most of the nuts and bolts.... it's surprising what you miss when you think you know what you're doing..!!

 

Last paragraph of Ron's is very important.
I left a turbo water hose off last time..
You can relax now!
Graham.